New home server build - input?


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Greetings!

I'm beginning the component selection stage of my new server build and I thought I'd see if there was any input or suggestions for directions I've missed.

Use:

The server runs mixed purposes at the house, with most functions served by virtual machines scaled to their function. These include:

  1. Virtualized firewall/routing with vpn termination (this one burns a full cpu core no matter what I put it on, but is well worth it)
  2. Internal dns resolution with dyn-dns update push support
  3. Media/File Server for 4-5 in-house clients
  4. Accounting server
  5. Git Repo
  6. Video Rendering/Transcoding box
  7. Dev server
  8. PBX
  9. Other uses as I become inclined.

Current Box:

Core i7 930 @ 2.8ghz

12gb DDR3

2 TB RAID 10 (fakeraid)

1 TB RAID 1 (boot, also fakeraid)

4 x 1gbps NIC (vlan/physical security)

Server 2k12 DC

New Build: (I'll update as decided)

I'd like to see at least 8 logical cores here, possibly more to expedite video rendering (I realize this would be faster on the host OS and a new build will likely address this)

24gb ram + (more = merrier, I constantly run low)

2-4TB RAID storage, with actual hardware controller

SSD caching/boot? Is this worth it?

Box will very likely run Ubuntu 12.04 x64 or CentOS 6 x64 with kvm/qemu (I've not yet picked a flavor, open to input here as well)

Odds are the current box will become a workstation, so I'd prefer not to gut it for parts.

Input? This is by no means an unlimited budget, but I'm willing to make an investment to get it right.

-a

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i'd find yourself a workstation motherboard that can handle 64GB+.

this looks fun - http://www.neweggbus...N82E16813131817

i'd also look towards the Xeon E5 line - those have 8 cores.

I think CPU is my biggest hangup at the moment. My i7 930 has been fantastic so far but I tend to think that in the 32gb ram+ area cpu will become a bottleneck.

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Vmware or Hyper-v??

Very likely KVM on *nix as there's no domain, but hyper-v as a fallback (is what I run now).

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make sure you get hardware that the hypervisor supports if you are using a class 1.

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IF that machine failed - everything including your refrigerator will stop.

I am just kidding but you really are putting all your eggs in 1 basket you need to add more redundancy especially in the hard drive department, those things will be spinning like mad.

P.s. Do you pay licensing for the PBX?

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IF that machine failed - everything including your refrigerator will stop.

I am just kidding but you really are putting all your eggs in 1 basket you need to add more redundancy especially in the hard drive department, those things will be spinning like mad.

P.s. Do you pay licensing for the PBX?

True, there's quite a bit running on this one machine, but nothing is terribly "critical".

No need for licensing on the pbx, it's FreeSwitch (asterisk branch)

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